Imbroglio
by Chestyr
Summary: Tawny is cheating on Louis...with Travis...who is gay...and Ren lusts after Travis but already has Jason...what situation will this lead to?


Imbroglio

"You really do have the best smile," Ren Stevens remarked to her friend Travis Gresham, who was smiling at her across the lunch table as he clasped her left hand in both of his.  

Ren and Travis were both seniors now, and Travis had grown a good six inches since junior high, so that he was just a bit taller than Ren now.  He and Ren had met up again their freshman year of high school after knowing each other for only a few days when they were both in the eighth grade.  It turned out that Travis was gay, which was fine with Ren because by the time she entered high school she had had a boyfriend, Jason, for a few months, and they had now been dating for more than two years.  Ren enjoyed having a close male friend such as Travis without her boyfriend being terribly jealous.

"Hello, you two," Ruby Mendel greeted them as she set her lunch tray on the table next to Ren and across from Travis.  Ruby had dyed her hair Little Orphan Annie red streaked with bleach blond during the summer before senior year, as well as had her navel pierced.  She took advantage of the high school's lax dress code by wearing a multicolored halter top that also bared her shoulders and most of her back, low-rise Pleather pants with a rhinestone-studded belt, and Mary Jane platforms that nearly matched the color of her hair.  Her sudden change of looks had shocked everyone at first, but it actually fit her quite well.

"Hi, Ruby," said Ren.

"Hey," said Travis.

Ruby raised her eyebrows at Travis' hands clutching Ren's, then quickly turned back to her lunch.

"Ru-beeee," Ren groaned, rolling her eyes at her friend.  She often had to remind Ruby that nothing romantic was going on between her and Travis.  After all, he flirted with _guys every day._

Luckily, the tension was broken by Tawny Dean and the former cheerleader Monique, who joined the crowd at the lunch table.  Tawny, a junior, had become closer friends with Ren this year because she, Louis, and Twitty didn't have the same lunch period; Monique was also part of the Junior Overachievers Club with Ren and dedicated most of her time to saving the whales or the rainforest instead of cheerleading.

The group had changed since they all had met up in eighth grade, mostly for the better, but Ren now felt more comfortable than ever with her friends and her boyfriend (who, unfortunately, attended a different school).  

"So, guys, did you hear about the senior camping trip next month?" Tawny asked.  "You know, you can invite juniors if you want."

"No, no way."  Ren wrenched her hand free from Travis' grip and used it to tuck her napkin into her lap.  "I hate camping.  I cannot stand bugs, or those little pieces of twig that always stick in the roasted marshmallows, or the way I smell like I've just smoked two packs of cigarettes from the campfire, or the lack of clean-"

"Okay, guess you're not going," said Tawny.

"Aw, come on, Ren, it'll be fun," Monique encouraged.  "Don't you ever just want to get back to nature, the way it was meant to be?"

"No thanks, I like my air-conditioned room," Ren replied.  "Not to mention, I don't think bug spray and sleeping bags had been invented during the times of cavemen."

"Well, I'm going," Ruby piped up.

"Yeah, me too," said Travis.

"Travis?" Ren laughed.  "I didn't think you were much of an outdoor person."

"Yeah, but I figure I might as well," said Travis.  "I mean, Tawny is the second most hygienic person I know besides you, and she wants to go, so it can't be all that bad."

Ren groaned and lightly punched his shoulder across the table.

"It's just one day and one night, Ren," Ruby begged.  "We can have girl-talk!"

"Yeah, we can braid each other's nails and paint each other's hair!" Monique squealed.  "It'll be so fun!"

"So which one of you guys is signing me up on your ticket?" Tawny asked.

"I'll do it, Tawn," Travis offered.

"Cool."  Tawny smiled.  "Ren, are you sure you don't want to come?  It's supposed to be a real bonding experience."

"That's okay.  I'll probably have to study for a test or something anyway.  And I really need to get started on my college applications," Ren said.

"Okay, we'll just have fun without you," Ruby shrugged.

"I think I'll manage."  Ren rolled her eyes.

"So have you heard about the camping trip?" Louis asked Ren as she was flipping through college brochures in the living room that afternoon.  "I guess the seniors are getting crabby about it 'cause they're allowed to invite juniors and they want it to be a seniors-only excursion."

"Has anyone invited you?" Ren asked.

"Not yet," said Louis, "but I was hoping maybe you would?  I mean, I heard Tawny's going."

"Sorry, I would, but I'm definitely not going."  Ren closed the brochure and stood up.  Louis blocked her path.

"Not going?  What are you talking about?  This is the biggest event of your entire high school experience," Louis tried to explain.

"Okay, what exactly is so exciting about it?  I mean, it's just a camping trip."  Ren rolled her eyes and tried to get past Louis to the kitchen.

"No.  No, see, it's not just a camping trip," her brother said, "it's the experience of a lifetime.  Last year Tom went on it and said it was the best thing he had ever done."

Tom Gribalski, a former friend of Louis', had skipped two grades and was now attending MIT as a freshman.

"Sounds like a cult to me," said Ren.

"Ren, you have to go.  If you don't everyone will know," Louis prodded.

"How do you know and why should you care?"  Ren was getting fed up.  "Can you please let me get a drink of orange juice now?  Geez."

Eileen Stevens walked into the kitchen with a sack of groceries.  "Oh, hi, Ren, can you help me with these?" she asked.

"Sure, Mom," said Ren.

"So are you going to sign up for that camping trip, sweetie?"

"Not you, too," Ren pleaded.  "Mom, I just don't see what the big deal is."

"Donnie said that camping trip was the best thing he had ever done in his life," Eileen told Ren.  "I just think it would be good for your social life.  You know, let you have fun for a weekend."

"Mom, I have plenty of fun studying at home," Ren argued.  That had come out slightly wrong.

"Well, why don't you just give it a try," Eileen suggested.

"Mom!" cried Ren.  "The more everyone tells me to go on this stupid camping trip the less I want to go."

"Suit yourself," said Eileen.

"Bad news," Tawny announced to Ren in the hall the next day as Ren was putting some books into her locker.  "I can't go on the camping trip."

"Oh, that's too bad, Tawny.  How come?"

"Apparently the seniors got all angry about being able to invite juniors, so now only seniors on Student Council are allowed to extend the invitations."  Tawny's eyes lit up.  "Hey, you're on Student Council."

"Yeah, but I'm not going," Ren gently reminded her.

Tawny sighed.  "Yeah, I guess..."

"What's the big deal?  You're going to have a chance to go next year," Ren said.

"It's just that...well, I mean, this is you guys' last year here, and so many of my friends are seniors," said Tawny.  "And this is supposed to be a really good year for, you know, for camping."

Ren stared into Tawny's vibrant blue eyes for a few seconds before replying, "Exactly how long is this trip?"

"Thirty-six hours."  Tawny straightened anxiously.

Ren let out a whoosh of breath.  "Fine," she said.  "I'll go.  But only for you."

"Oh my gosh, thank you!"  Tawny clasped Ren's hands and jumped up and down.  "Ren, I love you!"  She gave Ren a mini-hug around the neck and nearly choked her.  Ren couldn't help chuckling.

"Yeah, all right, all right," she told Tawny, trying to calm her friend down as she noticed people staring.

"We are going to have so much fun!"  Tawny held out her hands in a very Ruby-like gesture.

"You've been hanging around my friends way too long," Ren remarked.

Ren pressed her lips against Jason's and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.  Friday night had finally come, her parents were out to dinner, Louis was minding his own business, and she could have her favorite boyfriend in the whole world over.

Jason had stripped down to his boxers and undershirt before climbing on Ren's bed for their make-out sessions.  His muscular body sent shivers up Ren's spine as she sat up.

"Oh, I love you," she moaned.

"Right back atcha," Jason told her, stroking her cheek.

"So my friends talked me into going on this camping thing," Ren told Jason.  "I don't know, it sounds lame but everyone's really into it, apparently.  Even Tawny and Louis want to go."

"Sounds like a blast," said Jason.

"I don't know, maybe.  I mean, it's only for a day next month, but I'm going to miss spending my weekend with you."

"That is so sweet."  Jason drew her into another light kiss.  "Well, maybe you can take your cell phone and call me?"

"Yeah, if there are even power lines out there."  Ren sighed.  "I just hope I don't get eaten alive or break out in poison ivy or anything."

"You're so paranoid," said Jason.

"I know.  I'm working on it."  Ren sat cross-legged for a moment and thought.  "Hey, but it's October and I haven't even sent a single college application in.  I think I'm getting better with this obsessive-compulsive thing."

"Wow, that is impressive."  Jason raised his eyebrows and a smile stretched across his entire face, revealing a dimple in his right cheek.

"But I have completed all the applications, written five different essays, and gotten eight teacher recommendations..."  Ren's voice trailed off as she remembered that Jason was planning to get a job after graduating instead of going to college.  He was a good student, but not good enough to get very good scholarships, and his family couldn't exactly afford to send him to college.  He figured that it wouldn't be worth it to try to get student loans because it would just put him in debt later in life.  Now Ren was applying to Ivy League schools.  She knew Jason was a little jealous, but at least he was taking it well.  "I'm sorry," Ren said quickly.

"About what?" Jason asked.

"Never mind."

Just then the door to Ren's room burst open and Ren's father marched in.  Ren expected if she looked in a mirror the expression of horror on her face would have made her faint.

"Dad!  I thought you and Mom had gone out to-" Ren began once the shock had worn off all three of the current inhabitants of the room.

"Ren!  Jason!" was all Steve Stevens could gasp out.

Louis, who had heard his father shout, appeared at the door next to him, a look of amusement on his face.

"Mr. Stevens-" Jason began.

"Jason, kindly put your pants on," said Steve in an almost monotonous voice.

"Dad, I swear, we weren't doing anything!" Ren insisted, standing up as Jason scrambled to put his pants and shirt on correctly.

"Nice calves," Louis said to Jason.

"Hey, thanks, man," Jason replied.

"Steve, Louis?"  Eileen's voice drifted down the hallway and Ren's cheeks flamed as her mother appeared at the door of her room.  Ren almost expected Donnie, who was supposedly in Texas, to show up next and make this event a family affair.  "Ren!" Eileen gasped.  "Jason!  Jason!  Oh, hello, hello, Jason," she sputtered.

"It's okay, Mrs. Stevens, we were just kissing," Jason assured her.  He turned, fully dressed, to Ren.  "I think I'd better go.  Good-bye."  He knelt down to kiss her, and Ren turned her face sideways so that the kiss landed on her cheek.

"Bye, sweetie," Ren said.  Then she caught her mother's glare.  "Good-bye, Jason," she corrected herself.

"We decided to eat dinner at home after waiting for an hour and a half at that crackpot restaurant," said Steve.

"We got Thai take-out," Eileen added, obviously struggling to act normally.

Ren heard the front door slam downstairs and Louis burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" cried Ren, throwing a pillow at her brother.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who got caught," he said, holding his hands up defensively.

"We did not get caught doing _anything," Ren insisted.  "We were just kissing!  Come on, Mom, wouldn't you expect that my boyfriend and I of two years would kiss?"_

"Everyone, come on downstairs for dinner," Steve suggested.  "The take-out's getting cold."

The Stevens family congregated wordlessly around the dinner table and passed the Thai food cartons around to each other until they all had full plates.  After a short time's silence, Eileen said, "Well, Ren, what we experienced tonight was certainly interesting."

"Mom, I'm almost eighteen.  I think what I do with my boyfriend is my own business."  Ren stuffed a mushroom into her mouth.

"Of course it is, sweetheart," said Eileen, "but your father and I just want to make sure you take the proper precautions."

"Mom!"  Ren was shocked.  "What do you think Jason and I are _doing?"_

"I don't know," Steve joined in.  "What are you doing?"

"_Nothing!" cried Ren.  "I swear, we haven't even gone past first base!"_

Eileen nearly choked on her food.  Louis burst into giggles again.

"Oh, right, like you haven't screwed around with Tawny in your free time."  Ren eyed Louis evilly.

"Ren!" Steve warned.

"Sorry," Ren said quietly.

"I think this camping trip will be a good experience for you," said Eileen.  "You spend far too much time with Jason.  You need to get out and have a weekend of fun once in awhile."

"Jason is fun," said Ren.

"Fun?  What kind of fun?"  Louis mocked behind a mouthful of food.

"Mom, I promise, all we do is kiss," said Ren in a more even tone.  "And hold hands.  Okay?"

"I trust you," said Eileen, "I just said, I think you spend far too much time with him, and I'd like you to get out once and awhile.  With your girl friends."

"What about Travis?  He's a boy," said Ren.

"That's different," said Steve.  "We're not worried that Travis is going to make a pass at you."

Ren sighed.  "Well, I'm going on the camping trip.  Are you happy?"

"So am I," said Louis, "so I guess I'll see you there."

Ren grew irritated.  "Which member of Student Council invited you?"

"Loomis Freeman," Louis boasted proudly.

Ren nearly dropped her fork.  "Loomis Freeman is on Student Council?"

"Yep.  Turns out he had some master plan for the administration or something."  Louis shrugged and bit into a mini corn cob.

"I thought he was in your grade," Eileen said.

"He is," said Louis, "but the seniors signed him off as part of Senior Student Council because he's so cool."  He stared Ren directly in the face and shouted, "HA!"

Ren wiped stray pieces of rice from her face.  "Very nice," she said sarcastically.

"Have you two got everything you need?" Steve asked Ren and Louis as he loaded two duffel bags into Ren's SUV, which had been passed down to her from her mom.  

"Change of clothes, two pairs of wool socks, hand warmers, a hair brush, a toothbrush..." Ren began.

"All right, Ren," Louis laughed, patting his sister on the back.  "That's enough.  We're supposed to be going back to nature, remember?"

"Sorry, I guess I'm not into the whole nature thing."  Ren rolled her eyes and straightened the ratty old sweater she had borrowed from Louis.  She didn't own many 'grubby' clothes.

"Have fun, kids!" Eileen called to them as Ren and Louis strapped into their seatbelts and Ren pulled out of the Stevens' driveway.

"You're sure they're going to provide sleeping bags and tents there?" Ren asked.

"Stop being so paranoid, Ren.  It's just a camping trip," Louis assured her.

Twenty minutes later Ren pulled into the parking lot of Sacramento Recreational Park.  She and Louis unloaded their duffel bags and began to walk toward the pavilion, where all of the kids were meeting up.  Ren reasoned that she could at least drive home in the middle of the night if she desperately felt the need to leave.

"Ren!"  Monique threw her arms around Ren.  "I'm so glad you came!  Oh, and you brought Louis, that's so sweet.  Come on, Travis and Tawny are over here."  She led Ren by the hand to a corner, where Travis and Tawny were talking.

"Where's Ruby?" Ren asked.

"I'm sure she'll get here soon," said Tawny.

"Well, I mean, I'm usually never late but it's like three minutes past the designated meeting time," said Ren, glancing at her watch.  "And maybe I'm just making a big deal out of the whole punctuality thing, but-"

"Relax, Ren!" Monique laughed.  "Only about half the people are here.  Seniors aren't _supposed to be on time, silly!"_

"You know what, I think I'll go look for Ruby and make sure she doesn't miss us."  Travis stood up and looked around.

"Good idea.  I'll go with you," Tawny offered.

Travis smiled at her and then at Monique and Ren.  "See you ladies."

"See ya," Ren smiled back as Tawny followed Travis out of the pavilion.

"We are going to have a blast, Ren," said Monique.  "Ruby is going to bring Trivial Pursuit and we can stay up all night asking each other questions!"

"Great," Ren replied between clenched teeth.  "So are there tents here?"

"Of course there are.  Did you just expect us to sleep out in the rain?" Monique snorted.

"Rain?" Ren repeated.

"Yes.  The forecast states that there's a high chance of showers tonight.  Don't you ever watch the news, Ren?"

"I guess not closely enough."  Ren chuckled nervously and hoped the tents were waterproof.

"Here I am.  Now the fun can begin!" a voice rang out behind Ren, and Ren turned around and saw Ruby standing behind her.  The two hugged, then Ruby hugged Monique.

"So, did you find Tawny and Travis?" Ren asked.

"Oh," said Ruby.  "I think they're – talking to Louis or something."

Ren nodded.  It made sense, since Tawny and Louis could never see each other during the day.

Fifteen minutes later, Ren, Louis, Travis, and Ruby dragged behind the other campers, looking for a suitable place to camp.  Tawny was going to sleep in a cabin on a special request because she was allergic to the sun, and Ren wished she could do the same, but knew her friends would be angry at her if she did.  Ren felt a splash of cold water on her nose and looked up into the cloudy sky, biting her lip.

Finally, they found two tents next to each other, one for the guys and one for the girls to sleep in, and Ren quickly crawled inside the girls' tent for shelter.  She unzipped her duffel bag and pulled out the parka that she had brought, just in case.  She shivered as she slipped it over her head.  "So where are the sleeping bags, girls?"

"Sleeping bags?" Monique repeated.  "I just brought mine.  Ruby and I decided to share one since she only has a Sleeping Beauty sleeping bag from when she was four."

"Hey," said Ruby playfully.

"I thought the camp was going to provide sleeping bags?" said Ren.

"Nobody ever said that," Ruby told her.  "But hey, maybe there's room for three?"

"No way.  I'm not going to sleep with someone's hand in my face."  Monique shook her head.  "I'm sorry, Ren.  Maybe you can borrow Louis' and he and Travis can share a sleeping bag.  If Louis feels comfortable enough to do that," she added quickly.

"Louis didn't bring one either."  Ren's confused expression quickly turned into a frown.

"Well, we'll worry about it later," said Ruby.  "Come on, the cook-out's in ten minutes.  I want to get a good hamburger.  Try to have fun, okay, Ren?"

Ren forced a smile, having a feeling that the evening was going to be disastrous.

Ren's digital watch lit up 1:38 a.m.  Ruby and Monique were crowded into Monique's sleeping bag beside her, fast asleep, but she was sitting, shivering, in the opposite (but very cramped) corner of the tent.  Maybe she could call Jason.  Then she sighed.  Her parents were right about her spending too much time with him and thinking about him.

"Maybe Louis and Travis are up," she reasoned, and unzipped the tent and began to crawl out.  Her hand hit the muddy ground and her face and hair were pelted with rain.  "Groooooosssssssss," she moaned, trying to wipe the mud off her hand and onto the side of the tent.  She caught of glimpse of movement inside the neighboring tent and unzipped it.

Travis' back was turned to the tent door, and he didn't seem to hear Ren approach.  Upon closer inspection, Ren could see that Tawny was sitting opposite Travis, her lips locked onto his.  The two were stroking each others' faces as they kissed.

Ren gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth.

Travis turned around.  "Ren!" he said.

"Where's – where's Louis?" was Ren's first reaction.

"He went to the-" Tawny began, but then abruptly closed her mouth, apparently deciding it would be better not to speak.

"Where?" Ren inquired.

"He's sleeping in my cabin," said Tawny.  "Look, Ren, please don't tell him I came here.  I'm supposed to be there with him."

So that's why Louis hadn't brought a sleeping bag.  Ren thought it was suspicious.

The wind whistled outside, blowing another torrent of rain into Ren's face.

"Look, Ren, come inside the tent," Travis offered.

"No – no, it's okay."  Ren took a shaky breath.  "I'll just go now."

She scurried back into her own tent and zipped it up, then lay on the hard, wet ground and tried to sleep.  Tears stung at her eyes, but she refused to let them spill down her face.  What was she even angry about?  That Travis had turned out not to be gay after all?  That Tawny was cheating on Louis?

No, she decided, it was because Travis had picked Tawny over her.

_But I have Jason_, she thought.

Then another thought quickly rose in her head – all of her feelings for Jason had just disappeared.  He was a nice guy, but if Travis hadn't been gay, Ren knew she would have been going out with him by now.

That is, if he had even wanted to go out with her and not just be her friend.

Ren choked out a sob and shut her eyes tightly, hoping everything would go away by morning.  She was cold and tired, and she knew she would never get to sleep.

Ren awoke with a horrible backache and groaned as she tried to sit up.  She figured she had only slept for two hours, at the most.  Ruby and Monique were gone, the tent flap half unzipped, and a bit of sunlight had finally appeared through the gloomy cloud cover.  Ren stretched, rubbing her neck and patting her face, and pulled on a pair of jeans over the boxers in which she had slept.  Not caring that she hadn't even brushed her hair or changed clothes, she stepped into her flip-flops as she exited the tent and strode through the damp, insect-ridden grass to the pavilion.

It appeared as if the other campers had either finished or were finishing breakfast.  Ren spotted Ruby eating out of the strawberry bowl and approached her.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Ruby drawled.  "It's almost ten, Ren!  You missed breakfast."

"It's okay," said Ren, plucking a strawberry from the bowl.  "I just want to go home.  Do you know where Louis is?"

"Is everything all right?" asked Ruby.  "You seemed to be okay last night."

Ren shrugged.  "Yeah, I just – I didn't sleep well.  My back really hurts."

"Oh.  Louis is talking to Tawny-"

"Where?" said Ren quickly.

Ruby gestured lackadaisically in a non-specific direction.  "Somewhere over there."

"Okay, thanks."  Ren made her way through the crowd of eating and talking students and eventually spotted Tawny leaning against a wooden pole, Louis in front of her with his hand resting on the pole over her head.  They seemed to be having an intimate conversation.

"Ren."  Tawny looked slightly startled, but kept her arms and ankles crossed in a nonchalant manner as Ren approached.

"Oh, hey, Sis.  Have a good sleep?" Louis asked absentmindedly.  A smile crept over his face.  "While you ladies were giving each other pedicures I slept in a nice, soft bed in a nice, dry cabin.  I can't believe Tawny actually forfeited a night of comfort for girl-talk."  He snorted.

Tawny and Ren both emitted nervous giggles.

"So, Tawny, you want to take a walk so we can gossip about Louis more?"  Ren wasn't very good at the whole valley girl thing.

"Uh, yeah, sure."  Tawny smiled at Louis.  "We should be right back."

As soon as they were out of Louis' sight, Ren snapped, "What happened last night?"

"Nothing," Tawny insisted.  "I mean, you know.  Travis and I were just talking, and suddenly we...you know."

"There's more to it than that."  Ren stopped in her tracks.  "Why was Louis in your cabin and why were you in his tent?  Had you and Travis planned it?"

Tawny stared at the ground.

"I thought Louis was your boyfriend," said Ren.  Which was all too obvious a speculation; she had seen them kiss in public numerous times, not to mention the incessant hand-holding and cuddling.

"I guess," Tawny blushed.  "But, Ren, Louis and I will always be friends.  I mean, I don't see our relationship going very far.  Travis and I are just more...intimate."

"How long has this been going on?" Ren cried.

"Awhile," Tawny admitted.

Apparently Tawny wasn't comprehending the question Ren was getting at.  Finally Ren spit out, "How long has Travis been straight?"

"I don't know, isn't that his business?" Tawny shot back.

"Not anymore, now that he's decided to have a girlfriend."  Ren rolled her eyes.  "Travis and I had a relationship way before you even came along.  Why didn't he ever tell me he was straight?"

"Because you have Jason."

"YOU HAVE LOUIS!"

"Geez, Ren, tone it down a little."  Tawny and Ren were now facing each other, standing under a tree.  "Look, I don't think Travis ever was really gay.  Maybe he thought he was for awhile or something, I don't know.  But I promise I'll eventually tell Louis."

"Eventually," Ren scoffed.

"I think you're just jealous," said Tawny.  "Otherwise, why would you have a problem with this?  Travis can still be your friend."

"Oh, please, you have no idea how _not jealous I am," Ren replied.  "Louis and I are going home and then I'll spend the rest of the day with my BOYFRIEND."_

Ren stomped back to the pavilion, grabbed Louis by the back of his shirt, and hissed, "Let's go."

After much protesting, Louis finally had been coaxed by Ren into shoving all of his belongings back into his duffel bag and hopping in the SUV.  Ren drove home at a raging speed.

"I guess you really aren't an outdoor person," Louis remarked.  "Hey, hey Ren, guess what I did this morning?  I took a shower.  Ha!"

"Good for you," Ren remarked.

"That sounded like sarcasm," Louis taunted.

"Louis, I am not in the mood."  Ren gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

Ren turned into the driveway of the Stevens' house, turned the car off, pocketed the keys, and flew into the house, leaving Louis to take all of their stuff inside.  She ran up the stairs furiously, trying to stop herself from screaming, reached her bedroom door, and hurled herself on her bed.  For just a few seconds her anger dissipated as her tense neck and shoulders hit her soft pillow.  Then she remembered that she was angry, sat up, and punched in Jason's number on her phone.  "Get...over...here," Ren told her boyfriend through clenched teeth.

Louis and Ren were the only two family members in the house at the time.  Ren hoped her parents wouldn't be back anytime soon.  The doorbell rang, and she wrenched it open.  "Hello, Jason."  Ren tousseled her hair, trying to make herself look presentable.

"You sounded angry," Jason observed.  "Is everything-"  He broke off his sentence as Ren grabbed his arm, dragged him up to her room, and shut her bedroom door.  

Ren pushed Jason backwards onto her bed and began removing her shoes.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to have sex with you," said Ren matter-of-factly.

"Um..."  Jason slowly backed away from Ren, nearly slamming his head into her headboard.  "Ren, maybe we should talk about this first..."

"No.  I know you've been wanting to since we started dating.  It's okay.  I'm seventeen.  I'm ready now."  Ren had unzipped and kicked off her jeans and now stood barefoot before Jason, in Louis' boxers.

"Look," said Jason, "this is all pretty sudden."

Ren sat down on her bed and Jason inched away from her a bit more.  "My parents are gone, do you want to do this or not?"  She crawled her fingers up his chest.  He shuddered.

"No," Jason replied.  "No, I'm sorry, I can't."

"Don't be such a prude!" Ren cried.  "You can't tell me that you haven't had fantasies or something before."

"Ren," Jason sighed, "I know that you have really strong morals, and that's cool if you're ready, and, I mean, I _would have sex with you if you really wanted to, but I have a feeling you're doing this out of...I don't know, spite, or something."_

He was too smart for her.  Ren backed away from Jason a bit and crossed her legs, thinking.

"What happened on that camping trip?"

"You don't want to know," said Ren, and suddenly she felt embarrassed.  She had been completely using Jason.  She wasn't even feeling attracted to him at the moment.  He was a nice guy, yes, but Travis...well, once Ren had discovered that he was no longer gay, he had just looked incredibly _hot_.

"Maybe we should talk," Jason suggested.  He hoisted himself off of Ren's bed and handed Ren her jeans.  She put them back on slowly.

"No," Ren replied.  "Jason, I'm sorry.  I have to tell you something."

Jason furrowed his eyebrows.  "What?"

"I think..." Ren sighed.  "I think I have to break up with you."

Jason's arm twitched, but he didn't move.  "Really?  Why?"

"Because I have feelings for someone else.  Jason, I'm really sorry.  I mean, I really, really like you."  She looked into his eyes.  A half-smile was planted on his face.  "I just...I guess I've never felt that physically attracted to you."

"Not even when we were making out?" Jason asked.

"Well, yeah, that was really good."  Ren laughed.  "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I wouldn't even feel comfortable enough to break up with you like this unless I just liked you as a close friend..."

"I understand," said Jason.  He made to leave the room, then turned back around.  "This isn't one of those 'we can still be friends' things that never actually work out?"

"No."  Ren smiled.  "We really can still be friends.  I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait."  Jason turned around, knelt down, and retrieved one of Ren's shoes from the floor.  He shuffled over to her bed on his knees and slipped the shoe onto her left foot.

"Why thank you, Prince Charming," Ren giggled.

Jason laughed shyly and placed his hand on Ren's knee.  "Now," he said, climbing onto her bed and sitting next to her, "tell me what happened."

A few hours later, Ren, Tawny, Louis, and Travis were all congregated in Louis' bedroom.  Ren paced nervously around the room, biting her lip.  She had screwed up with Jason – they might still be able to be friends, but it would never be the same – and she didn't want the same thing to happen with Travis.  At least Jason had been somewhat understanding, even if he had seemed a shade jealous.  He had actually given her advice about what to do about her crush five minutes after she had broken up with him.  Apparently he was used to having his heart broken.

"Ren, I have a feeling this is about me and Travis," said Tawny.

"I have no idea what any of this was about."  Louis was tapping away on his computer, looking up jokes on the Internet.

"Louis," Tawny snapped.  Ren knew that Tawny knew what was coming.  She was squeezing Travis' hand and looked pale, almost sick.

"We have a little situation here," Travis explained to Louis' back.

Louis spun around in his chair and leaned forward, his chin on his hands.  "Just make it quick, okay?  I just found a really great site."

"Well, I'm coming out of the closet," Travis announced with a grin.

"Man, you already did back in like 2003," said Louis.  "Is there _any new news you'd like to tell me?  You people are wasting my time, seriously.  I could have gotten some great joke stuff by now."_

"I'm straight," Travis replied.

"Congratulations, man," said Louis, slightly annoyed.  "Twitty got really nervous at school the other day when you were looking at him a certain way.  He'll be glad to know that piece of information."

"Well the thing is, Louis," Tawny interjected.

Ren quickly snatched the conversation away from her.  "Tawny and Travis have a thing."

"A thing?" Louis repeated.  "What kind of thing?"

"We're kind of going out," Tawny said, swinging her hand forward to show that it was attached to Travis'.

"Oh."  Louis sat back in his chair and folded his left leg over his right.  "Well, I mean....you could have let me know."  He let out a forced laugh, but his face grew sullen.

"Louis, I'm sorry," Tawny told him, wincing.

"Yeah, no hard feelings, man," Travis added.

"Feelings?"  Louis jumped out of his chair.  "Who are you to tell me what I'm feeling?"  He walked dangerously close to Tawny and looked ready to punch someone in the face, then exited his room.

Tawny released Jason and stood up.  "Thanks a lot, Ren."

"Wait."  Ren placed a hand tentatively on Tawny's shoulder.  "Look, you guys, there's another reason I wanted to talk to you."

Travis sighed as Ren crossed to Louis' bed.  Tawny sat down again.  

"Ren," said Travis, "I think I know what's going on.  I know we're really close friends, and Tawny's and my relationship won't affect that."

"So how long have you been straight, exactly?" Ren inquired.

Travis shrugged.  "I don't know.  Maybe I was never gay.  Maybe I came out too soon."

Ren let out a flustered sigh.

"Ren, can we please go now?" Tawny asked.

"What about Louis?" Ren cried.

"Since when have you actually cared about Louis?"

"Fine.  I just want you to know that what you guys are doing is wrong!" Ren yelled.

"Louis and I will always be friends," said Tawny, "if you don't ruin it for us."

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like Tawny and I plan to get married or anything," said Travis.  "We're just having fun."

"Oh, is that what this relationship's all about?  Screwing around and having fun?"

"This isn't about you, Ren," said Tawny, "and it never was.  Come on, Travis."

Tawny dragged Travis out of the room.  Travis turned to look over his shoulder at Ren and mouthed, "I'll call you."

Ren sighed and flopped down on Louis' bed.  Louis came back into his room and resumed his seat at his computer chair.  He was holding a glass of lemonade.  "So how'd it go?"

"How did what go?" Ren asked.

"Your little snafu with the pair of lovebirds."

"Why are you in such a good mood?"  Ren sat up and glared at her brother.  "I've just lost my boyfriend and two of my best friends, and your girlfriend abandoned you for someone who was supposedly gay!"

"You really did it?  You broke up with Jason?"  A smile crept across Louis' face.  "I don't believe you actually did it!  This is so great!"

"What?"  Ren stared at him.

"You actually believed it?" Louis cried.  He was hissing hysterically now.  "Ren, the whole thing was a set-up!"

Ren rose from the bed and strode over to Louis angrily.  "What are you talking about?"

"Travis was never gay, Ren!" Louis cried.  "He only said he was gay when he learned that you and Jason were going out because he still wanted to be friends with you without posing a threat."  Louis quickly ducked and put his hands over his head as Ren raised her fist menacingly.

"You mean he hid that fact from me for three years?" Ren screamed.

"He loved you."  Louis' tone softened.  "Look, Ren, I'm sorry this had to turn into a big ordeal, but we were just testing you at the camp-out thing to see if you really were in love with Travis."  He paused.  "So you really broke up with Jason?"

"Yes!"  Ren placed her hands on her hips and began to pace.  "Yes, I did."

"This is perfect, then!" said Louis.  "Now you and Travis can go out."

"But I liked Jason."

"Then why did you break up with him?"  Louis ducked again, but Ren reached over and hugged him.  He looked surprised.

"So you and Tawny are still-"

"Yeah, yeah, we're fine."  Louis' face broke into a grin.  "Aw, Renny-Ren can have her little Travy-Wavvy now!"

"I feel sorry for Jason," said Ren.  "I can't believe I did this to him.  He's going to be so upset."

"Ah, he'll get over it," said Louis.

"Thanks for the support."  Ren stomped out of Louis' room and into her own.  She picked up the phone and dialed Jason's number.

"Um, Ren, just to let you know, I'm really not in the mood for any rash decisions right now," Jason said instead of "Hello."  He must have traced Ren on caller ID.

"It's okay."  Ren sighed.  "Jason, I did a really awful thing to you and I'm really sorry.  I've had people dump me for other girls and I thought they were the biggest jerks on the planet.  And now Travis and I might get together and I just want you to forgive me."

Jason's laugh rang over the phone line.  "Ren, it's okay.  I understand."

"Can we be friends?" Ren asked pleadingly.  "For real?"

"I don't know.  Will I pose a threat between you and Travis?"

Ren chuckled.  This line sounded familiar.  "No.  Just don't pretend to be gay."

"Oh-kaaaaayyyy."  Jason sounded confused.

"I'll see you later," Ren said before she hang up the phone.  "Bye."

The phone rang again and Ren picked it up.

"Hi, this is Travis."

"Travis!"  Ren shouted.  "Oh my gosh!  Hi!"  She crept over to her bedroom door and closed it silently.

"So I guess Louis told you," Travis said.

"Yeah," said Ren.

"So...."

"You really wanted to go out with me?  All this time?" Ren asked.

"Ren, will you marry me?"

Ren blinked.

Travis chuckled.  "I'm just kidding."

"Oh."

"So, I mean, whenever you want to do anything, or..."

Ren felt a sinking feeling in her stomach.  She liked Travis, a lot.  They were getting off on the wrong foot, though.  "I'll see you at school."

"Definitely," said Travis.  "See you."

Ren hung up the phone and descended the stairs to the kitchen.  She had a sudden craving for chocolate.

The End

(Possibly to Be Continued)


End file.
